Apparatus for projecting colored beams of light



April 30, 1929. w, BERRY 1,711,303

APPARATUS FOR PROJECTING CBLORED BEAMS OF LiGHT Filed April 3%1924 2 Sheets-Sheet" l N l/EN TOR Rrcy H/ZZZzkunBerry A TTORNEY April 30, 1929. P. w. BERRY 1,711,303

APPARATUS FOR PROJECTING COLORED BEAMS OF LIGHT Filed April 30, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Berg M74402 ar/y- Patented Apr. 30, 1929.

UNITED STATE-s" 1,711,303 PATENT OFFICE.

PERCY WILLIAM Bunny, or "nnAnine, nivetnnn, Ass'ieNoR, BY Mns nn ss GN MEN'IS, To HOLOPHANE COMPANY, Inc; or NEW YORK, 1v. Y., n CORPORATION OF NEW YO K,

APPARATUS non PROJECTING coLoRnn BnAMs'OF LIGHT.

Application filed April 30, 1924, Serial No. 710,151, and in Great Britain May 1,1923.

The object of the present invention is the manufacture of an. apparatus for projecting colored beams of light and more particularly to a color filter adapted to be used with a projector such as cinematograph projector for illuminating a screen or stationary picture when the projector is not being used for exhibiting a film.

As in cinematograph theatres the performance is usually continuous,-it becomes essential that a very accurate time table must be closely adhered'to, and it often occurs that small intervals must be allowedbetween successive items of the program. Such intervalsare, naturally, unpopular and the present invention allows of their being used for entertaining thehaudience by illuminating a ,tationary picture so as to represent, for eX-.. ample, the gradual change from night nto day and again from day into night by the projection of appropr1ate and gradually changing colors. 7, I

Briefly stated, the present invention comprises a continuous'color filter having a succession of colors merging into one another,

adapted to be moved in any desired manner across the projected beam of light. Preferably, a. repeating series of colors are used so that the same color cycle can be repeated without the necessity for shutting off the light and bringing the screen back to its original position. I equivalent'means, and 1s preiierably provided with a sheet of plain glass on one side to protest the color screen, and as-econd sheet of rolled plate glass on the other side, which serves to protect he color screen and to drE- fuse and soften the beamof light-.; She embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a front view of the appara tus, and v j p i Fig. 2 shows a section on the line 2'2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspectiveview of the invention showing its mode of use with the projector.

Referring now to the drawings, on a suitable baseboard 1, which may be of any convenient construction or form, is'mounted a pair of standards 2, to which are bolted sup ports 3 and bearings i which carry an oper ating screw 5. Any suitable means are-pro- The screen is moved by screw or:

operator to manipulate easily the apparatus.

The shoes are preferably of gun metal and are slotter. at 13'to work on a pair of steel guide bars 14, 15, attached respectively to the 1 standards 2 and the supports 3. The screen is traversed from the operating screw 5 by means of anut 16 and a connecting piece 17. It will be seen that thescreen can be traversed at any desired rate or stopped at any point, by suitable manipulation of Ythe handleG. r

In Fig. 3 the filter andsupport are shown in use with av projector 18. The color screen 7 is provided with a. color or tone which gradually increases in intensity or tone toward the middle of the screen and fades away toward the ends of the screen. Thus at the left hand end of the screen a brilliant yellow tone 19 sin'lulating broad daylight can be painted or applied to the glass, deepening at 20, into sunset tones of rose andorange 'un; til at 21' violet tones deepen into midnight blue; at 22 this blue tone fades into pale/gray lavender which gradually takes-on a yellow and rose-tone until at the right hand extremity of the screen a tone23 corresponding to 19 is en'iployed. A complete traverse of the screen across the projected beam 24 of the projector l8 will, therefore project on" any view, projected from a stationary slide, such color'tones as will give the set scene a live look, involving all the natural transition from dawn to darkness. I have shown one repetition but in Fig. 3 naturally a more vivid effect is produced bya succession of such series, which can be thrown oaths screen without having to turn the plate back in any way, or a mere reversal of the plate as shown will give repetition of the tones;

- such a repetition is shown on. the color screen in Fig. l. Y

I claim:

1. Apparatus for projecting colored beams of light, comprising a light source and a screen adapted to be placed in front of the source, the screen consisting of a base, a rectangular frame mounted thereon, a color screen fastened in the frame provided with a series of translucent merging colors, parallel. guide bars in which the frame is slidably mounted, a screw threaded rod, and a screw threaded member rigidly attached to the frame, threading on the rod and adapted to carry the frame along the bars when the screw rod is turned to produce an even and undefined color cycle from the light beam.

2. Apparatus for projecting colored beams of light, comprising a projector, and a screen adapted to be placed in front of the projector, consisting of a base, a frame slidably mounted thereon, a color screen fastened in the frame,

provided with a series of merging translucent colors,a screw threaded rod,a screw threaded member rigidly attached to the frame threading on the rod and adapted to carry the screen along the beam of the projector when the screw rod is turned to produce an even and undefined color cycle from the light beam.

8. Apparatus for projecting colored beams of light, comprising a projector, and a screen adapted to be placed in front of the projector, consisting of a base, a color screen slidably mounted thereon, provided with a series of merging translucent colors, a screw threaded rod, and a screw threaded member rigidly attached to the screen, threading on the rod and adapted to carry the screen along the beam of the projector when the screw rod turned to produce an even and undefined colored cycle from the light beam.

Signed at London, England, this 22nd day of April, 1924.

PERCY WILLIAM BERRY. 

